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Boeing faces age-discrimination complaints from engineers' union

Boeing_Washington.jpg

Machinists union members are shown during a past contract dispute with Boeing, which has been hit with newly filed age-discrimination complaints from another union representing engineers.
(Associated Press/file)

The Everett Herald reports Thursday that the Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace filed complaints with state and federal authorities on Wednesday against the aerospace giant.

The union alleges that used a two-step scheme to shed older, higher-skilled engineers from its payrolls. The union says Boeing changed how it determines who gets laid off when work is cut, and then it created the need for layoffs by announcing plans to move jobs — but not necessarily employees — to non-union shops out of metro Puget Sound.

Boeing denies the allegations.

The company says "diversifying" its engineer workforce reflects changes in the aerospace industry and is not related to age.